per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Monday, April 16, 2018

The Gulf Between (Us)

Peanut has bid this world adieu

Ode on the death of a favorite cat

Twas on a lofty vase’s side,
Where China’s gayest art had dyed
    The azure flowers that blow;
Demurest of the tabby kind,
The pensive Selima, reclined,
    Gazed on the lake below.

Her conscious tail her joy declared;
The fair round face, the snowy beard,
    The velvet of her paws,
Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,
Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,
    She saw; and purred applause.

Still had she gazed; but ‘midst the tide
Two angel forms were seen to glide,
    The genii of the stream:
Their scaly armor’s Tyrian hue
Through richest purple to the view
    Betrayed a golden gleam.

The hapless nymph with wonder saw:
A whisker first and then a claw,
    With many an ardent wish,
She stretched in vain to reach the prize.
What female heart can gold despise?
    What cat’s averse to fish?

Presumptuous maid! with looks intent
Again she stretched, again she bent,
    Nor knew the gulf between.
(Malignant Fate sat by and smiled)
The slippery verge her feet beguiled,
    She tumbled headlong in.

Eight times emerging from the flood
She mewed to every watery god,
    Some speedy aid to send.
No dolphin came, no Nereid stirred;
Nor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard;
    A favorite has no friend!

From hence, ye beauties, undeceived,
Know, one false step is ne’er retrieved,
    And be with caution bold.
Not all that tempts your wandering eyes
And heedless hearts, is lawful prize;
    Nor all that glisters, gold.
*****************************************************
I thought it only fair to bridge the gulf between us and let my dear readers know that I'm still kicking in Southern Illinois and Peanut the Grand-Cat in Florida is no more. She gave us much love, was a source of joy and laughter, and comforted us in times of sadness and loss. Her illness came on quite suddenly (shallow breathing, loss of appetite) and occurred right after being boarded at an animal hospital in Tallahassee where she had received regular exams, vaccines, and previous boarding. Of course, we suspected some sort of nosocomial infection, but the vet told Daughter that x-rays showed a mass near her heart and lungs filled with fluid. The vet was fairly certain that the tumor had been present for a while, slowly compromising her health, and that the stress of being away from home and family was the proverbial nail in the coffin for Peanut.
 A nasty thing, STRESS is. Just look at the word--a serpent that swallows up serendipity and slithers across our serenity. It robs us of life's pleasure and enjoyment and ultimately of life itself. It must be a close cousin to Malignant Fate, and I hope they both soon drown in the Lake of Fire.

13 comments:

  1. to hear of your cat's illness and passing. I get all torn up when that happens here. They are persons, identities and characters that befriend and enrich us. I offer condolences.

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    Replies
    1. Terribly sorry, but it seems Google only carried half of my comment. Excellent post, which has addressed my feelings many times over.

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    2. Thank you, Geo. I do appreciate your stopping by and offering your sympathy. I have not been active on Blogger for a while now but intend to remedy that situation. I miss blogging, especially my blogging friends. Facebook and Twitter don't even come close to matching this experience. They are just for skimming the surface.

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  2. Oh I am so sorry about Peanut. I am a life-long cat owner and it is so hard. I was so happy to see you comment on my blog and then came here...Cats are so good at hiding illness. Sending love to you and your family...Michelle

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Michelle, for your love and good wishes. I keep promising myself no more pets, I'm done, but we'll see. Actually Peanut was Daughter's cat. We all know how far that goes. I guess what goes around comes around. My dog somehow ended up with my parents when I got married and started a family.

      I will look you up on FB. Thanks.

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  3. Hi W2W - so sorry to read about Peanut and your delightful poem ... cats are just amazing creatures - love them. Equally good to know you're still around - cheers Hilary

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ms. Hilary. The poem was borrowed from Mr. Gray, someone who certainly seemed to understand how loved a cat can be.

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  4. I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of Peanut. We lost our cat Sasha late last fall after a sudden illness as well. I have been thinking of her this spring as the catmint is emerging--she loved to follow me around in the garden and especially enjoyed rolling around in the catmint in the spring. So glad to hear from you again! I haven't been very active in blogging for the past year or so either; I try to post once a month just to keep a record of my garden, but sometimes I don't even get that done. Facebook is so much easier, but it's kind of like much of the news these days--just soundbites and no substance:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rose. Sorry to hear that your beloved Sasha is gone too. Peanut was my garden companion too. I agree with you about FB. I don't like it much, but if I want to know what's going on with son and his family, I'm sure to find it on FB before hearing directly from them.

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  5. So glad to see you rejoining the blogging world. The social media that gives real writers the opportunity to really write, Welcome Home!
    Troutbirder (Ray)

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